Horticultural Heartthrob Draws Crowd In Orange County

If the gardening world had a Brad Pitt, it would be Jamie Durie, the Australian dancer-turned-landscape-designer-turned-TV host.

When Roger’s Gardens in Corona del Mar announced two months ago that Durie would be lecturing and signing books here Saturday, hundreds of people called to RSVP, short-circuiting the nursery's phone system.

“We sent the email out at 9:20 on a weekday morning and within 30 minutes our phone system crashed," said Ron Vanderhoff, general manager for Roger's Gardens. "The women love him. He is photogenic, and he plays to the female audience really quite well.

“The other part of his appeal is that his show is Southern California-based," Vanderhoff said. "To a gardener, that is a big deal. There are a lot of gardening shows on HGTV, but they are based in other parts of the country. With his show, people here can relate to the homes and actually use the plants in his designs.”

Early Saturday, fans lined up outside the nursery and waited in the drizzle for Durie to appear. The event drew nearly 400 people – the largest crowd for an event at Roger’s Gardens since Martha Stewart made an appearance nearly 15 years ago, said Vanderhoff.

The lecture and book signing were designed to promote Durie’s new book, Jamie Durie’s The Outdoor Room, named after his HGTV show.

Lisa Russel of Long Beach was among the first to arrive Saturday.

“I love his vision," she said. "He brings a lot of enthusiasm. We have to put up with so much in our lives – going to work, taking care of the kids, etc. I like his concept of a backyard that is nurturing, a place you can go to that feels like a refuge.”

Throughout the lecture as well as his TV show, Durie emphasized garden designs meant for interaction rather than admiring from a distance.

“It’s incredible how these plants really attract people and draw them in,” he said. “We want to see it. We want to feel it. We want to smell it. We can’t get enough of it.”

Durie offered tips for home gardeners:

• “Spend between 5 and 15 percent of your property value on your garden, and you’ll never overcapitalize,” he said. “Prospective buyers want to see where they are going to entertain their friends and families on the two most important days of the week: the weekend.”

• Rather than a big open design, use plants, curves, paths, hardscapes, seating areas and multiple levels to draw the eye to the garden. “Don’t give it all away in one go,” he said. “Think about compartmentalizing. … I get so turned off that people build these outdoor rooms straight off the back room of the house. Building destinations on the farthest reach of the garden is something we should all do.”
• Use focal points or “garden magnets” to add depth and movement to a landscape. Such magnets could include a fireplace, waterfall, rain chain or artwork. Durie said he usually uses four - one at the farthest end of each compass point in the landscape.

• Durie said he always uses right angles in his designs, whether it be seating areas or focal points, to create interaction and movement between elements.

• Plant native species. “Let's start falling in love with our native gardens again,” said Durie. “You’ve got to make sure 25 to 45 percent of your gardens are native to your area, and you’ll instantly take away 45 percent of your labor. … The secret is actively choosing the right plants for the right place. ... At the nursery, before you actually buy the plant, read the tags and talk to the plant nerds.”

• Break up the patio’s hardscapes. Plant in the voids between paving to soak up the rainwater.

• Take advantage of structures and tree canopies such as the Hong Kong Orchid Tree to create microclimates within the yard. “Think about creating a microclimate, and you will open yourself up to 100 other species you’ve never been able to grow before,” he said.

Durie completed his lecture with this summary of his landscape design philosophy: “It’s the art of seduction,” he said. “You have to seduce people into your backyard and stay there.”